Immediacy and Freedom
I took Donner's 'buster collar' off this morning. He was lying on the bed looking sleepy and sad (can you look sleepy and sad at the same time? You can if you're a kitten with stitches and a plastic collar) so I eased out the straps and removed it completely. Freedom at last. Actually, Donner didn't notice for a little while, he was off somewhere else in his little feline mind. But then, suddenly he did - gave a little trill of happiness and popped off the bed. He went on to spend an extensive amount of time on self-grooming; who can blame him. Blitzen seemed very pleased too - lots of brotherly showcase-wrestling ensued, and playing with some new toys to keep them indoors. Donner's limping a little but seems so much happier. What a relief.
I've been in all day catching up with various bits of admin, all the while going pretty slow. I think I have a bit of a head cold; I've felt as though I am underwater some of the time, as though time itself is a viscous element, requiring concentrated effort to traverse.
Also doing some last minute reading for the last literature class tomorrow. From next semester I'm going to be convening the English Literature BA, a prospect which provokes both anxiety and pride. So I don't feel I can slacken off despite it being the last week (did I tell you that already?). Looking through the online journals ('Essays in Criticism' especially), I found an interesting piece by Tim Kendall on Keith Douglas and the art of self elegy. The essence of the piece is that the knowledge of imminent death being a likely outcome sharpened the war poets' sense of mortality; each poem a possible 'last poem', a pre-emptive elegy. In Douglas' case this is certainly detectable. ('Simplify me when I'm Dead' etc). Kendall quotes Auden, on the nature of writing itself as a form of posthumous communication to the next generation:
'Writing begins from the sense of separateness in time, of "I'm here today, but I shall be dead tomorrow, and you will be active in my place, and how can I speak to you?'
I have come across such comments before, that one writes to lessen the dread and finality of death and to provide elegy and memorial and message to future generations.
I wonder, does this mindset apply to blogging, where the immediacy of the posts is quite key to the genre? Of course it depends on what sort of blog one writes, and also whether one places a lot of value on feedback on or off the comments lists. But I know I value certain blogs I read precisely because they are in effect happening in real time: a post that day, an observation either timely or topical for both writer and reader. More like journalism then - a day quicker than the traditional sort. Arguably, even trivia has its place more comfortably if it's real-time trivia. Will a blog last? Should that matter? Perhaps these days it doesn't matter enough, when immediacy of communication in the public domain is relatively easy, but lasting impact less so?
You see this is the sort of thing that would never bother a cat, although they sit with that contemplative gaze for long periods of time. Immediacy, though, is important for them - not just in the sense of food coming immediately upon demand, but also in the enjoyment of and dwelling in, the present moment. Perhaps a sort of blog mentality after all.
PS. sorry, I've lost my blogroll and other links, due to changing templates - I wanted a change! I'll get them back up soon.
I've been in all day catching up with various bits of admin, all the while going pretty slow. I think I have a bit of a head cold; I've felt as though I am underwater some of the time, as though time itself is a viscous element, requiring concentrated effort to traverse.
Also doing some last minute reading for the last literature class tomorrow. From next semester I'm going to be convening the English Literature BA, a prospect which provokes both anxiety and pride. So I don't feel I can slacken off despite it being the last week (did I tell you that already?). Looking through the online journals ('Essays in Criticism' especially), I found an interesting piece by Tim Kendall on Keith Douglas and the art of self elegy. The essence of the piece is that the knowledge of imminent death being a likely outcome sharpened the war poets' sense of mortality; each poem a possible 'last poem', a pre-emptive elegy. In Douglas' case this is certainly detectable. ('Simplify me when I'm Dead' etc). Kendall quotes Auden, on the nature of writing itself as a form of posthumous communication to the next generation:
'Writing begins from the sense of separateness in time, of "I'm here today, but I shall be dead tomorrow, and you will be active in my place, and how can I speak to you?'
I have come across such comments before, that one writes to lessen the dread and finality of death and to provide elegy and memorial and message to future generations.
I wonder, does this mindset apply to blogging, where the immediacy of the posts is quite key to the genre? Of course it depends on what sort of blog one writes, and also whether one places a lot of value on feedback on or off the comments lists. But I know I value certain blogs I read precisely because they are in effect happening in real time: a post that day, an observation either timely or topical for both writer and reader. More like journalism then - a day quicker than the traditional sort. Arguably, even trivia has its place more comfortably if it's real-time trivia. Will a blog last? Should that matter? Perhaps these days it doesn't matter enough, when immediacy of communication in the public domain is relatively easy, but lasting impact less so?
You see this is the sort of thing that would never bother a cat, although they sit with that contemplative gaze for long periods of time. Immediacy, though, is important for them - not just in the sense of food coming immediately upon demand, but also in the enjoyment of and dwelling in, the present moment. Perhaps a sort of blog mentality after all.
PS. sorry, I've lost my blogroll and other links, due to changing templates - I wanted a change! I'll get them back up soon.
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